RU2788227C1 - COMPLEX FOR EXTRACTION OF MINERALS DISTRIBUTED OVER THE SEA BOTTOM - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: marine mining.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of marine mining, in particular to devices for underwater mining of minerals scattered over the seabed, including both cobalt-manganese crusts (CMC) and ferromanganese nodules (FMN). The device can also be used to study the bottom surface with simultaneous sampling of bottom sediments during the development of the resources of the World Ocean. The complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed on the seabed contains a base vessel with three winches with cable-cables equipped with fiber optic communication channels connected to a gripper, a cargo storage hopper of minerals and a mining unit, including walking robots-breakers and autonomous robots - assemblers with a box hangar, the full cycle of which is autonomously coordinated from the mother ship.

EFFECT: complex provides an increase in production productivity by eliminating multiple tripping operations.

1 cl, 8 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of marine mining, in particular to devices for underwater mining of minerals scattered over the seabed, including both cobalt-manganese crusts (CMC) and ferromanganese nodules (FMC).

The device can also be used to study the bottom surface with simultaneous sampling of bottom sediments during the development of the resources of the World Ocean.

A distinctive feature of minerals dispersed along the seabed is a significant depth of their occurrence, about 5000 m, on the surface with a complex relief, which is a combination of flat areas with slopes of seamounts (guyots) with ledges, hollows, etc. Geological exploration shows that deposits cobalt-manganese crusts are localized on the slopes and tops of underwater hills (sea mountains), ridges. The crusts form strata of considerable thickness, and the crusts are sufficiently firmly attached to the rock on which they lie, i.e., they require preliminary destruction, breaking.

A well-known installation for the production of ferromanganese nodules (Timofeev I.P. Walking machines for the development of resources of the seabed. L .: Publishing house of the Leningrad University, 1987., S. 10-11), equipped with a surface watercraft, a transporting body, a bottom mining collection device with a hopper for filling buckets, mounted on a traction rope. The mining device is mounted on a skid, equipped in the front with a ripper, has a bottom in the form of a screen, it moves with a rope.

The disadvantages of this installation are that the design of the ripper blade provides loosening of fairly soft bottom sediments, but does not provide preliminary destruction of strong cobalt-manganese crusts, and the design of the bottom mining device provides the possibility of independent autonomous movement along complex surfaces of dispersed minerals.

A device is known for lifting manganese nodules or similar formations from the seabed (patent No. 1602397, publ. 10/23/1990), including a frame with a drive roll installed in it, having means for lifting manganese nodules around its circumference and covered by a concentric rod lattice forming teeth in the place where nodules were taken.

The main drawback of the design is the need to pull the device over the seabed using a cable-rope connected to the floating craft, which excludes the possibility of its independent movement along the rugged surface of occurrence of dispersed minerals, in addition, nozzles are located inside the drive roll through which water is supplied under pressure to the transported ferromanganese nodules for their washing, which leads to sea pollution with suspended particles of sedimentary material.

A known method for the extraction of ferromanganese nodules from the ocean floor from depths of up to 5 km or more and a device for its implementation (patent No. 2715108, publ. 25.02.2020), including a carrier vessel, a mining unit in the form of a self-propelled controlled chassis with a collection of nodules equipped with a ripper sediment, suction pump, navigation system and lifting device.

The disadvantage of this device is the design of the bottom unit, equipped with a screw-type ripper, which provides preliminary loosening and movement of the layer of bottom sediments during the extraction of ferromanganese nodules, which leads to turbidity and a sharp violation of the integrity of the ecosystem of the seas, and the design of the self-propelled steerable chassis does not allow the device to move along the slopes of seamounts (guyots), on which cobalt-manganese crusts lie.

A device for collecting polymetallic nodules is known (patent No. 2737944, publ. 07.12.2020), containing a ballast block rigidly fixed on the central beam, a storage bin, a block of constant buoyancy, movement mechanisms and collection units.

The main disadvantage of the device for collecting polymetallic nodules is the design of the collection units, made in the form of rods pivotally connected to the central beam with collection units moving along them. The collection of nodules is carried out during the rotation of the rods relative to the central beam, which sharply limits the area covered by the length of the rods for the collection of minerals and thus reduces the productivity of the installation, in addition, during the rotation of the rods, a suspension is created that is harmful to the ecology of the seabed.

Known installation for the extraction of ferromanganese nodules from the ocean floor (patent No. 2289696, publ. 12/20/2006), containing a carrier vessel on which the plant controls are located, a bottom assembly for collecting FMC mounted on a frame, a pulp pumping unit with pumps, and a device for lifting FMC to the ocean surface.

A significant disadvantage of the installation under consideration is the design of the means for moving the bottom assembly for collecting ferromanganese nodules, mounted on a caterpillar chassis, which, when moving, has an aggressive mechanical effect on the soil, leading to the destruction of the surface layer and the violation of the integrity of the ecosystem of the bottom of the seas and oceans. In addition, the design of the device for lifting FMN is made in the form of a conveyor equipped along the entire length with floats filled with gasoline, which, in case of possible leakage, also creates an additional risk of environmental pollution.

Known complex for the extraction of ferromanganese nodules from the shelf zone of the oceans (patent No. 2405110, publ. unit with the parent ship.

The disadvantage of this complex is the impossibility of autonomous, independent of the base vessel, movement of the mining unit, mounted on skis, on the surface of the seabed, the design of which does not ensure the passability of the device with a complex bottom topography with significant slopes, and the design of the rolling gripping device equipped with blades - the possibility of breaking cobalt-manganese crusts. In addition, the movement of the mining unit mounted on skis has a devastating effect on the structure of surface sediments, leaving behind a rut, increased turbidity of the water in the mining area, i.e., a violation of the ecology of the marine environment.

The technical result is the creation of a complex for the industrial extraction of minerals dispersed at great depths.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the base vessel is equipped with three drum winches installed in the center, at the bow and stern of the base vessel, the load-carrying cable cables of which are equipped with fiber optic communication channels, while the free end of the cable cable of the drum winch installed in the center of the base vessel vessel, connected to the gripper a device made in the form of a frame with two screw propellers mounted on it, with a lead screw with left and right threads fixed inside the frame, equipped with a drive connected to two levers with the possibility of reciprocating movement relative to the axis of the lead screw, while at the ends of the levers pivotally L-shaped clamps are fixed with the possibility of interacting with the transporting device in the form of a cargo hopper - a storage of minerals, the body of which in the upper part is equipped with a shoulder located around the entire perimeter, and in the lower part - with leveling devices, for example, jacks, while the mining unit is made in in the form of walking breaker robots equipped with a drummer and at least four paws, in the form of articulated-lever mechanisms with hydraulic cylinders, with grabs hinged at the free ends and autonomous assembler robots equipped with a buoyancy control system, and at least four jet propulsion units, hinge but installed in guides with the ability to rotate at least 130 degrees in two mutually perpendicular planes relative to the body of an autonomous robot-collector, made with a compartment-collector for collecting minerals with opening covers, with a storage battery located in the upper part of the body, a hydroacoustic transceiver device, and a mechanical manipulator pivotally connected to the front part of the body with a gripper at the free end, as well as monitoring tools, including a digital video camera and a spotlight, while the autonomous assembly robots are telecommunicatively connected to the box - a hangar divided into sections-cells, equipped with a power supply unit with a charging station, a hydroacoustic transceiver module and a cable-cable connected to a drum winch installed on the bow of the base vessel, and walking robotic fenders are connected by cable to a switchgear located on a commonplatform,equipped with a leveling system, for example, jacks, including individual coils and transformer batteries, connected by means of a cable-rope to a drum winch installed at the stern of the mother vessel.

The complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed along the seabed is illustrated by the following figures:

fig. 1 - general view of the complex;

fig. 2 - general view of the complex, top view;

fig. 3 - general view of the gripping device;

fig. 4 - general view of the walking robot-chipper;

fig. 5 is a general view of an autonomous assembly robot;

fig. 6 is a top view of an autonomous assembly robot;

fig. 7 is a side view of an autonomous assembly robot;

fig. 8 - gripping device with a cargo hopper - drive, where:

1 - base ship;

2 - winch;

3 - cable-rope;

4 - free end;

5 - gripping device;

6 - frame;

7 - screw propeller;

8 - lead screw;

9 - drive;

10 - left side;

11 - right side;

12 - lever;

13 - nut;

14 - axis;

15 - latch;

16 - transporting device;

17 - mineral;

18 - cargo storage bunker;

19 - body;

20 - bead;

21 - seabed;

22 - jack;

23 - walking robot-chipper;

24 - autonomous robot assembler;

25 - drummer;

26 - paw;

27 - articulated-lever mechanism;

28 - hydraulic cylinder;

29 - grab;

30 - hinge;

31 - cable;

32 - switchgear;

33 - coil;

34 - transformer battery;

35 - platform;

36 - compartment-collector;

37 - cover;

38 - jet propulsion;

39 - guide;

40 - spherical hinge;

41 - mechanical manipulator;

42 - grab-grab;

43 - digital video camera;

44 - searchlight;

45 - battery;

46 - hydroacoustic transceiver;

47 - box - hangar;

48 - cell section;

49 - power supply;

50 - charging station;

51 - hydroacoustic transceiver module.

The complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed along the seabed (Fig. 1, 2) includes a base vessel 1, at the bow, stern and in the center of which there are three winches 2, the load-carrying cable-lines 3 of which are equipped with optical fiber communication channels.

The free end 4 of the load-carrying cable-rope 3 of the winch 2, located in the center of the base ship 1, is connected to the gripping device 5 (Fig. 1, 3), on the upper part of the frame 6 of which there are two screw propellers 7 for positioning the position of the specified device. Inside the frame 6 there is a lead screw 8 with a drive 9, the left part 10 of which is made with a left-hand thread, and the right part 11 with a right-hand thread. The levers 12 in the upper part are rigidly connected to the nuts 13, with left and right threads, engaged with the lead screw 8, with the possibility of reciprocating movement relative to the axis 14 of the lead screw 8. At the free ends of the levers 12, clamps 15 are hinged, having G - figurative form.

The transporting device 16 (Fig. 1, 2) for the delivery of mineral 17, ferromanganese nodules or cobalt-manganese crusts, to the base ship 1 is made in the form of a cargo hopper - storage 18, the body 19 of which is provided with a shoulder 20 around the entire perimeter in the upper part, rigidly with it connected, and in the lower part - leveling devices relative to the surface of the seabed 21 (Fig. 1), for example, jacks 22 (Fig. 8)

The mining unit of the complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed on the seabed is made in the form of remotely controlled walking robots-chippers 23 (Fig. 1, 4) and autonomous robots-collectors 24 (Fig. 1, 5).

The body 19 of the walking robot-breaker 23 (Fig. 4) is equipped with a drummer 25 located in the center of the body and is pivotally connected to at least four paws 26 made in the form of hinged-lever mechanisms 27 with hydraulic cylinders 28. At the free ends of the paws 26 are placed grabs 29, hinges 30 associated with them.

Walking breaker robots 23 are connected via a cable 31 (Fig. 1, 2) to a switchgear 32, which includes individual coils 33 with a wound cable 31 connected to transformer batteries 34. The switchgear 32 is installed on a common platform 35 equipped with a leveling system, for example jacks 22 and by means of a cable-rope 3 connected to a drum winch 2 installed at the stern of the parent ship 1.

Autonomous robot picker 24 (Fig. 1, 5) with a buoyancy control system, not shown in the drawing, has a body 19 in the lower part equipped with a collector compartment 36 for collecting minerals with opening lids 37. Autonomous robot picker 24 is equipped with at least four jet propulsion 38 mounted on the sides of the body 19 (Fig. 6, 7) with the help of guides 39 hinges 30 associated with the body 19 and jet propulsion 38 (Fig. 7) with the ability to rotate the latter by at least 130 degrees in two mutually perpendicular planes relative to the body 19.

In the front part of the body 19 of the autonomous robot assembler 24, a mechanical manipulator 41 is fixed by means of a spherical hinge 40 (Fig. 5), the free end of which is connected by a hinge 30 to the gripper 42, and to the left and right of the spherical hinge 40 there are monitoring tools, including a digital a video camera 43 and a searchlight 44. In the upper part of the body 19, a battery 45 and a hydroacoustic transceiver 46 are installed

Autonomous assembly robots 24 are remotely connected by means of telecommunications with a box - hangar 47 (Fig. 1), divided into cell sections 48 and equipped with a power supply unit 49 with a charging station 50 for recharging autonomous assembly robots 24 and a hydroacoustic transceiver module 51. Boxing -hangar 47 is connected by cable 3 to a drum winch 2 installed on the bow of the parent vessel 1 (Fig. 1).

The proposed complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed on the seabed works as follows.

The base ship 1, equipped with three winches 2 (Fig. 1), sails to a pre-prepared area for the development of dispersed minerals, for example, cobalt-manganese crusts, the dimensions and boundaries of which are pre-limited by the installation of special acoustic signal benchmarks, not shown in the drawing.

Initially, a cargo hopper 18 is lowered onto the surface of the seabed 21. To do this, the gripping device 5 connected to the free end 4 of the load-carrying cable-rope 3 passing through the winch 2 located in the center of the base vessel 1 and the portal (not shown in the drawing), lead to the working position (Fig. 1, 8), namely include the drive 9 of the lead screw 10 installed in the frame 6 of the gripping device 5. Due to the fact that the left part 10 and the right part 11 of the lead screw 8 are made respectively with left and right threads and interact with the nuts 13 of the levers 12, the translational movement of the levers 12 along the axis 14 of the lead screw 8 in opposite directions begins, which ensures the opening of the gripping device 5, accompanied by an increase in the distance between the latches 15 of the levers 12 to a distance determined by the dimensions of the device moved further.

In this position, the gripping device 5 is lowered onto the surface of the cargo storage hopper 18 (Fig. 8), which acts as a transport device 16 for delivering minerals 17, for example, cobalt-manganese crusts, to the parent ship 1. In this case, the latch 15, which has an L-shaped the cargo storage hopper 18 is brought under the shoulder 20 of the body 19 (Fig. 8), the drive 9 of the lead screw 8 is reversed and, thus, the cargo storage hopper 18 is securely clamped in the gripping device 5.

Using the winch 2, installed in the center of the base vessel 1, the descent of the cargo storage bin 18 to the seabed 21 is started.

In the process of installing the cargo storage hopper 18 (Fig. 1), if necessary, jacks 22 level its position relative to the surface of the seabed 21. housing 19 of the cargo storage hopper 18. All control operations are carried out remotely from the base ship 1.

Then, in the same way, a sequential descent is carried out using the gripping device 5 and the winch 2 installed in the center of the support vessel 1 on the surface of the seabed 21 of the box-hangar 47, with autonomous robots-assemblers 24 placed in its sections-cells 48 and a switchgear 32 with placed on its platform 35 transformer batteries 34, coils 33 and walking robots-breakers 23 (Fig. 1, 2). At the same time, the switchgear 32 with walking robots-breakers 23 placed on its platform 35 is placed on the seabed 21 in the zone of location of cobalt-manganese crusts, which requires leveling the device with jacks 22.

During the descent of the listed devices, cables 3 equipped with fiber optic communication channels, winches 2 placed on the bow and stern of the vessel and connecting these devices with the group program control center of the base vessel 1 (not shown in the drawing) are simultaneously unwinded. The control of all robots - walking robots-breakers 23 and autonomous robots-assemblers 24 is carried out according to a pre-compiled control program.

Cables 3 equipped with fiber optic communication channels transmit video, telemetry information and control signals for all systems of the complex - walking robots-breakers 23, autonomous robots-assemblers 24, etc. The "technical vision" system is a digital video camera 43 and a searchlight 44 for obtaining video information about the objects of the external environment for the purpose of their detection and identification is placed directly on the body 19 of the autonomous assembly robots 24.

Further, along the cable cables 3 of the winches 2, located on the bow and stern of the base vessel 1, a signal is transmitted from the group program control center to start the work of autonomous robots-assemblers 24 and walking robots-breakers 23.

The cable 31 from the transformer batteries 34 supplies power to the walking robots-breakers 23 and the process of their walking begins (Fig. 1) due to the sequential movement of the paws 26, with the hinges 30 attached to them, the grabs 29, the articulated-lever mechanisms 27, the hydraulic cylinders 28. Simultaneously with this unwinds the cables 31 from the coils 33, which makes it possible to move the walking robots-breakers 23 in different directions over considerable distances along the slope of the cobalt-manganese crusts. In the desired position, remotely determined by the operator from the base ship 1, the position of each walking robot-collector 23 is fixed, creating sufficient forces for pressing the jaws of the grabs 29, hydraulic cylinders 28 to the surface of the mineral 17 - cobalt-manganese crusts (Fig. 1, 4). Next, the drummer 25 is turned on and the process of destruction of strong cobalt-manganese crusts and their separation from the rocky hard rocks of occurrence begins.

Having received a signal to start work from the group program control center located on the base ship 1, jet propulsion units 38 are switched on, powered by batteries 45, autonomous assembler robots 24 (Fig. 5) and they leave the cell sections 48, “flying out” from box-hangar 47, while remaining telecommunication connected with it. The movement of autonomous robots-assemblers 24 is controlled by signals sent by the hydroacoustic transceiver module 51 of the box-hangar 47, equipped with its own power supply 49 and received by hydroacoustic transceivers 46, located in the housing 19 of autonomous robots-assemblers 24.

Position control, movement speed, precise positioning of autonomous robotic assemblers 24, “hovering” in a horizontal position, due to the presence of a buoyancy control system (not shown in the drawing), at a certain depth is carried out by changing the angle of inclination of the jet propulsion units 38 installed in the guides 39 (Fig. . 6, 7), with the possibility of turning the latter by at least 130 degrees in two mutually perpendicular planes relative to the housing 19.

Autonomous navigation of autonomous robots - assemblers 24 is carried out using the "technical vision" system, including a digital video camera 43 broadcasting video in real time and a searchlight 44 (Fig. 5). Autonomous robots equipped with it - assemblers 24 independently carry out "visual" control of the area, comparing the current picture with information pre-loaded from online services.

Thus, having determined the search object, the autonomous robot - assembler 24 with a gripper 42, hinged on a mechanical manipulator 41, captures the cobalt-manganese crusts crushed earlier by walking robots 23, and by turning the mechanical manipulator 41 relative to the center of the spherical hinge 40 sends the held pieces to the collector compartment 36 When the collector compartment 36 is completely filled, the autonomous robot-collector moves to the cargo storage bin 18, “hangs” above it, thanks to the buoyancy control system, opens the covers 37, the mined mineral is poured into the cargo storage bin 18 (Fig. 1, 7), and the autonomous picker robot 24 returns for a new portion of the mineral.

When the charge of the battery 45 of the autonomous robot - collector 24 is approximately 10% of the initial one, the autonomous robot collector goes to its section-cell 48 of the box-hangar 47 for recharging from the charging station 50. The process of collecting minerals 17 continues until the cargo bin is completely filled -accumulator 18.

After the cargo storage hopper 18 is completely filled with a gripping device 5 (Fig. 3), a cable-rope 3 and a winch 2 placed in the center of the base vessel 1, it is lifted on board, unloaded and stored in the hold of the base vessel, and then transported to coast for further processing.

The proposed complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed along the seabed is universal and can be used in the extraction of ferromanganese nodules. In this case, only a cargo storage hopper 18 is used, a box hangar 47 with autonomous assembler robots 24, installed on the seabed using a gripping device 5.

The proposed complex allows to increase the productivity of the extraction of dispersed minerals by eliminating multiple tripping operations, is environmentally friendly, does not violate the ecology of the marine environment.

Claims (1)

A complex for the extraction of minerals dispersed along the seabed, containing a parent vessel associated with a mining unit, a gripping device, a transporting device, characterized in that the parent vessel is equipped with three drum winches installed in the center, at the bow and stern of the parent vessel, load-carrying cable cables which are equipped with fiber-optic communication channels, while the free end of the cable-cable of the drum winch installed in the center of the base vessel is connected to the gripping a device made in the form of a frame with two screw propellers mounted on it, with a lead screw with a left and right thread fixed inside the frame, equipped with a drive connected to two levers with the possibility of reciprocating movement relative to the axis of the lead screw, while at the ends of the levers pivotally L-shaped clamps are fixed with the possibility of interaction with the transporting device in the form of a cargo hopper - a storage of minerals, the body of which in the upper part is equipped with a collar located around the entire perimeter, and in the lower part - with leveling devices - jacks, while the mining unit is made in the form walking robots-breakers, each of which is equipped with a striker and at least four paws, in the form of articulated-lever mechanisms with hydraulic cylinders, with grabs hinged at the free ends, and autonomous assembly robots, each of which is equipped with a buoyancy control system, and not less than four bodies of water solid propellers, pivotally mounted in guides with the ability to rotate at least 130 degrees in two mutually perpendicular planes relative to the bodies of autonomous picking robots, each of which is made with a compartment-collector for collecting minerals with opening covers, with a battery located in the upper part of the body a battery, a hydroacoustic transceiver, and a mechanical manipulator pivotally connected to the front of the body with a gripper at the free end, as well as monitoring tools, including a digital video camera and a searchlight, while autonomous assembly robots are telecommunicationally connected to the box - a hangar divided into cell sections, equipped with a power supply unit with a charging station, a hydroacoustic transceiver module and a cable-cable connected to a drum winch installed on the bow of the base ship, and walking robots-breakers are connected by cable to a switchgear placed on a common platform equipped with leveling system - jacks, and including individual coils and transformer batteries, connected by means of a cable-rope to a drum winch installed at the stern of the parent ship.

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